Crew departed San Diego yesterday for 2,800-mile voyage back to Honolulu
Honolulu, HI – After a three-month voyage across the Pacific Ocean and down the coast of California, Hikianalia is sailing back to Hawaiʻi. The voyaging canoe departed yesterday at 2:00 p.m. (PST) from the Maritime Museum of San Diego and is expected to arrive back in Honolulu in early to mid-December. This last leg of the Alahula Kai o Maleka Hikianalia California Voyage is being captained by apprentice navigator Jason Patterson under the guidance of Pwo navigator Bruce Blankenfeld.
Hikianalia departed Honolulu on August 18, 2018 and made landfall at Half Moon Bay, California on Sept. 10, 2018. While in California, the canoe made stops in San Francisco, Sausalito, Ventura County, Redondo Beach, Catalina Island and Orange County before making a final stop in San Diego. Each stop began with an arrival ceremony hosted by the indigenous and local communities of the area. The crew held public presentations, school visits and dockside canoe tours to share the history and legacy of Polynesian voyaging and the mission of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.
About Alahula Kai o Maleka Hikianalia California Voyage:
The Alahula Kai o Maleka Hikianalia California Voyage is a continuation of the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s Mālama Honua campaign to inspire action toward an environmentally and culturally thriving world. The name of the voyage, Alahula Kai o Maleka, honors the “frequented pathway,” alahula, across the ocean between Hawaiʻi and California, kai o Maleka. Kai o Maleka, literally means “sea of America,” a traditional reference to the Pacific waterway connecting the Hawaiian Islands and the West Coast. Additional purposes of the voyage are to celebrate the Polynesian communities of California; connect, learn and share the Mālama Honua message with schools and communities; continue developing the next generation of voyaging captains, navigators and crewmembers; and to share the story of Hikianalia, a canoe that blends ancient wisdom and modern solutions to address the environmental and cultural issues of today. The major sponsors of the Alahula Kai o Maleka Hikianalia California Voyage are Hawaiian Airlines, OluKai, Kamehameha Schools and Hawaii Tourism Authority.
